In a series of incendiary tweets Friday morning President Donald Trump appeared to be attempting to create a scenario where his supporters will battle “any protestors” who come to Oklahoma to attend his MAGA rally.
After claiming victimization, the President targeted protestors – while wholly ignoring their First Amendment rights and suggesting the law is different in Oklahoma than it is “in New York, Seattle, or Minneapolis.”
He then tried to declare strength, by lying about his approval rating and the support of his base, while bragging that Republicans are already lined up to attend his Saturday rally.
Here’s how it played out.
Step one – Play the victim:
Step two – Define the opposition, the ones he wants his supporters to blame. Stoke violence:
Step three – Ensure supporters think they’re backing a winner, a strong leader:
Step four – Reinforce the (false) idea that despite everything they’re seeing, the real truth is all MAGA supporters are in this together, and there are a lot more than they think:
Step five – Reinforce who the enemy is:
Step six – Reinforce:
It’s important to note that the First Amendment protects protestors, Trump does not have a 96% approval rating in the Republican Party, and there is no “silent majority” when it comes to Trump supporters – just look to the polls, including the Fox News polls, for proof.